Equal Opportunity Commissioner and Head of Equity Unit

(1) The higher education institution shall elect an equal opportunity commissioner and deputy commissioner for a three-year term. Eligible candidates include university teachers, academic staff, and other individuals who hold a higher education degree and appropriate professional experience. The equal opportunity commissioner should be from the under-represented gender group amongst the university teachers at the higher education institution.

(2) The equal opportunity commissioner shall receive the requisite human and material resources in order to be able to carry out his or her duties. He or she shall be released from his or her employment duties without any reduction in emoluments or wages to the extent required to carry these duties.

(3) The equal opportunity commissioner shall provide the higher education institution with support and assistance in all equal opportunity measures. He or she shall especially assist the higher education institution with structural and staffing decisions and development planning. He or she shall participate in the development of equal opportunity directives, guidelines, and concepts. He or she may express an opinion and proffer recommendations to all of the higher education institution's organizational bodies. He or she shall have a right to be heard and a right to make a motion in all autonomous bodies and committees and must be invited to attend meetings and be informed. He or she shall have the right to inspect all employment application documents associated with hiring academic personnel.

(4) A full-time equal opportunity commissioner may be elected for a six-year term at Universität Hamburg, the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, and the Hamburg University of Technology. In such an event, the higher education institution must publicly advertise the position. The equal opportunity commissioner's employment relationship shall be created under private employment law.

(5) If an organizational body at a higher education institution takes a decision that affects the equal opportunity mandate and is contrary to the written vote of the equal opportunity commissioner, the commissioner may, within one week thereof, demand that the decision be reconsidered (motion for reconsideration). Any new decision or resolution may be made only after there has been an attempt to reach some sort of agreement and no earlier than one week after the submission of the motion for reconsideration. A motion for reconsideration may only be submitted once for the same matter.